Roads are closing, flights are cancelled and lakes are approaching flood warning levels as the wild weather hits parts of the South.
Rain has been falling heavily in Queenstown and Wānaka this morning, with thunder and lightning reported in Queenstown.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council says its emergency operations centre is tracking rain, river and lake levels across the district.
Several roads have already closed due to flooding or slips and the council says more closures are likely.
Current closures:
Rees Valley Road, Glenorchy (flooding)Mount Aspiring Road, Wānaka (flooding)SH6 Makarora – Haast (slip)
Lake Wakatipu is at its first flood warning level at Queenstown and approaching it at Glenorchy.
Lake Wānaka has almost reached its first flood warning level.
Some 88mm of rain fell north of Glenorchy overnight, and 25mm at Wānaka.
The Otago Regional Council earlier said extensive flooding was likely in Glenorchy today.
It was also expecting flooding in low-lying Queenstown streets near Lake Wakatipu and on the foreshore of Lake Wānaka.
An orange heavy rain warning is in place for the headwaters of the Otago and Canterbury lakes and rivers, and the Westland ranges.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi advised about 9.30am that Haast Pass (State Highway 6) was closed owing to a slip, while the Milford Road (SH94) is closed from Cascade Creek due to landslides and fallen trees covering the road.
The Central Otago District Council says there are “a number of areas” across the region with surface flooding, and heavy rain is continuing to fall.
The council said Clyde, Alexandra, Lowburn and Pisa Moorings were the worst-affected areas.
It advised motorists to travel only if it was essential, and to “please stay off roads if you do not need to be out there”.
The whole of the South Island is being lashed by the wild weather, which has cut power to tens of thousands of people and caused scores of flight cancellations.
A slew of flights at both Dunedin and Queenstown airports have been affected.
– Allied Media